Solas review

Though completed back in 1999, Benito Zambrano's Solas only gets a release now. However, this delay is not because of any doubts about the film's quality, but due to similarities with another Spanish movie, Pedro Almodóvar's well-regarded All About My Mother.

Like the Almodóvar, Solas is a tribute to the strength and solidarity of women. It centres on elderly Rosa (Maria Galiana), who stays with her daughter Maria (Ana Fernández) in the city while her husband (Paco de Osca) is in hospital there. The mother and daughter cannot connect, despite both having been dealt a bad hand in life.

Tackling alcoholism, physical abuse and abortion, one might expect the film to be melodramatic. Instead, the women's struggle is highly uplifting and inspirational, with Zambrano's heartfelt script and a performance of incredible dignity from Galiana giving a beautiful and enjoyable movie great depth.